


A shade little Deuce story...

by PenumbralFeathers (CTtrajan)



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: Dorks in Love, Fluffy feathers, Other, Self-Insert, Shyness, Sona, This may be a little longer than intended but it will be a short work, but of the other pseud CTtrajan, most chapters are not likelyy to be longer than 1K I should think, self indulgent, the dorm sona is not my own sona
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29437821
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CTtrajan/pseuds/PenumbralFeathers
Summary: They did not speak, leaving him to fidget to himself for a short while. Without opening their eyes, they began.“I am a shadow fae of the Diasomnia dorm. You are of Heartslabyul correct?”Taken by surprise, Deuce jolted and nodded.“Y-Yes! I am Deuce Spade.”They looked him up and down and then hummed approvingly.“Spades hm? A fine name and very fitting. I am the shadow of the trees you see, my name is best left as Onyx. Onyx Kenji.”-----Deuce Spade meets a curious first year of Diasomnia whilst achieving an errand for Riddle, a meeting that grants a path to a new friendship. But what should happen if the two fell a little further to feelings?---I do not expect to update this very regularly so apologies for that, I will attempt my best to do so however.
Relationships: Deuce Spade/Onyx Kenji, canon/self insert
Kudos: 2





	1. First meetings

Deuce did not normally frequent the area about the Diasomnia dorm. It gave him the chills and the aura around most of its students was unnerving, intimidating him with a mere glance. However, he was here on a mission set to him by Riddle. To retrieve the golden flower placed there by midnight. Or so that is what the dorm leader had explained, simplifying the task in his hurry. Silver had asked him for a diligent student to help carry a golden statue to one side of the dorm to another. Of course, Riddle had offered himself up but at the last moment, a student created a large scene in the dorm lounge and he was summoned away to take care of it. Fortunately, Deuce was eager to offer his assistance. And so, he trudged lightly as if on thin ice on his way to the dorm. Spying Silver, he waved to his senpai, about to call out before realising the man was asleep. Beside him stood a large statue of a rose. Coughing hesitantly, Deuce attempted to wake him up but before he could speak a word, Silver’s aurora eyes sleepily snapped open. Blinking a couple times, he viewed Deuce with an unseeing regard before seeming to register his presence.

“Ah… You...”

In an instant, Deuce offered his introductions.

“I am Deuce Spade from Heartslabyul! Dorm-Leader sent me in his stead as he is unavailable at the moment.” 

Drowsily, Silver nodded and pointed to the statue.

“It shouldn’t be too heavy but I’d appreciate it if you could just place it in the centerpiece of the garden. It’s easy to tell where when you get there, merely turn the corner of the castle and walk forwards.”

As he nodded in reply, Deuce picked up the statue, wincing a little under the weight but able to hold it easily enough.

“Do you require a student to guide you?”

“No! It’s alright! I can do this!”

Raising an eyebrow, Silver nodded before turning and leaving.

It was a dark day, the stormy grey clouds already casting overhead a large shadow which befell over the garden. Deuce shivered as he trodded under the watchful gaze of gargoyles and into the garden where he glanced about for what a centerpiece could mean. Skimming over each corner, his eyes missed an amber orb notice him, peeking at him from the shadows. Before long, he spotted a raised platform with a plaque embellished with gold, rosy letters written on the front. 

“Aha!” He mused to himself. “That must be where this goes!”

The shadow watched him a second more, lingering before flickering out like a snuffed candle’s light. Deuce carefully set the rose down in place, nudging the wedges to align with the circular edge.

“What business do you partake in here?”

Jumping at the introduction of a new voice, he spun around to see a figure. Their form flickered in an out, almost fluctuating in existence. Shadows danced from their feet, streaming like ribbons from their toes. They wore a pristine Diasomnia uniform, green and black neatly folded and pressed into their outfit. Dark hair, as black as void, hung over their right eye whilst their left was golden, tipped with silver lashes. From the shape of their sharp ears that peeked out from the short curtains of hair, it was clear they were a faerie of some sort, curious and bold and brazen. That was all he could tell that could explain their slightly ashen skin tone, a dull grey in contrast to the bright colours of their eye. Coughing into a gloved hand, Deuce glanced at the statue with his deep blue eyes, a little unnerved by their sudden appearance.

“I have been sent here to deliver this rose to its rightful place. I can leave if you want-”

“No. Stay. I am curious in a human like you.”

Their expression did not change as they uttered the words, a neutral tone of curiosity and command. Their sole eye flicked up and down his appearance, taking in his waving navy hair that fluttered over his blue eyes. They found the spade across his eye a curious detail as well as the abundance of red and black of his uniform. It’s presentation was as neat as their own dorm’s yet different in so many ways. Deuce wavered, startled by the intensity of their gaze.

“A human…? Like me?”

Holding up a hand, the figure beckoned him with a finger and then walked off towards a bench.

“Come.”

As they sat down, Deuce a little uncertainly, the figure sighed a deep breath and seemed to relax a little under the shade of the trees. They did not speak, leaving him to fidget to himself for a short while. Without opening their eyes, they began.

“I am a shadow fae of the Diasomnia dorm. You are of Heartslabyul correct?”

Taken by surprise, Deuce jolted and nodded.

“Y-Yes! I am Deuce Spade.”

They looked him up and down and then hummed approvingly.

“Spades hm? A fine name and very fitting. I am the shadow of the trees you see, my name is best left as Onyx. Onyx Kenji.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. Please leave kudos or a comment so I may know what to work on if needed or if you liked a particular section. I know that is it short, but I hope to be able to update more this way.


	2. Small talk

“I am a shadow fae of the Diasomnia dorm. You are of Heartslabyul correct?”

Taken by surprise, Deuce jolted and nodded.

“Y-Yes! I am Deuce Spade.”

They looked him up and down and then hummed approvingly.

“Spades hm? A fine name and very fitting. I am the shadow of the trees you see, my name is best left as Onyx. Onyx Kenji.”

♡♠♡♤♡♠♡♤♡♠♡♤♡

Slowly nodding, Deuce smiled faintly.

“Th-Then you can call me Deuce!”

“No, I shall stick with Spade.”

The reply was abrupt and calm, their eye looking away from him as they spoke.

“Do not mistake my allowing you to call me by my first name as a lack of formality, I merely prefer to be called the same by everyone.”

“O-Oh...”

Awkwardly, Deuce looked to the ground, feeling the shadows behind them weigh upon his back. He was confused and a little unnerved, what did Onyx want with him? The fae, taking note of his demeanour, sighed and slowed their tone.

“...I suppose that was a little...rude of me to say so quickly. I apologise, I’m not… used to being answered.”

They faltered in their last words, causing Deuce to raise his eyes to glance at them. Despite the cold and confident front they had shown previously, a softer, nervous fragment of their feelings seemed to glimpse across their face. Naively chalking it up to being surprised to see a stranger in their dorm, Deuce smiled and mentally steeled himself. Likening his own image to his dream of a police officer, he clasped his hands together and viewed Onyx like a lost child - scared and in need of comfort. Even if the metaphor was quite far off, it couldn’t hurt to try to make a new friend right? Warmly smiling, he held out his hand.

“I get it. I’m always nervous meeting new people too. Truthfully...”

He laughed a little nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“...I was a little scared to come here. This dorm isn’t the friendliest place around and it always seems dark and gloomy. I thought I’d only find people who’d intimidate me-”

Sharply, Onyx agreed in a neutral tone.

“Indeed, we house the Prince of Faeries after all. I should expect us all to scare you humans a little.”

There was a haughty edge to their voice that Deuce quickly decided to ignore as he continued.

“Ah… yes…? But uhm, my point is… I came here and I met you. And you aren’t so bad. So there’s no need to be nervous, I won’t hurt you!”

“Of course you will not, I doubt you hold the power to try.”

Bluntly, Onyx continued to reply to his words as if they held no effect. Weakening in his stance, Deuce deflated a little, still energetic enough to blurt out in confusion.

“H-Hah? What do you mean by that?”

“It is of little use to explain without revealing the nature of my magic.”

An unimpressed expression lay upon their face, their lips pursed judgingly. However, it dissolved quickly as they sighed, a small glimmer of a smile shining through their eye.

“I do appreciate the thought though, trying to comfort me. It is strange, however, I’m not… used to talking... to anyone I suppose.”

“Well,” sighing tiredly, Deuce leant forward onto his knees and looked out to the garden, “you could start with me I guess? I don’t think Dorm-leader will mind if I come back a little late, I got the job done after all.”

Thinking about Riddle’s reaction to the news to himself, he smugly smirked to himself.

“I hope I get to hear him praise me for a job well done and see Ace get dragged in the mud.”

Onyx watched him, smiling faintly to themself as they saw Deuce’s light up his face. A small thought flashed across their mind. ‘Cute...’ Speaking again, they drew their head to his level and inquired.

“Dorm-leader? Do you speak with yours often?”

Surprised, Deuce’s eyes went wide.

“You don’t? We need to report daily to ours plus he checks on us to make sure we are following the rules quite often.”

“Oh?” 

For the first time, Onyx’s eye went wide as well and more emotion than they’d shown thus far flooded in their voice.

“You speak with him often?? I rarely have the miracle of a chance to even catch a glimpse of mine, even then it is normally whilst he is alone and likely would rather I don’t disturb him.”

Jolting forward in a manner that startled Onyx a little, Deuce’s eyebrows rose.

“Really??? You don’t talk to him at all??”

“No… I don’t talk to anyone really, sometimes to Zigvolt but rarely anyone else.”

They sat up and leant back in their seat.

“No one really notices me easily, though I can’t blame them for that.”

Half frowning, Deuce soaked up the information, slow to respond. He only did so after a heartbeat, realising something strange.

“If you rarely talk to anyone… why did you talk to me?”

Blinking, Onyx looked at him, their sandy golden eye staring into his oceanic blue one.

“...”

They were silent for a moment before holding a hand up to fiddle with a strand of their hair.

“You’re a human.”

Deuce was about to inquire further when they continued, unevenly pacing their sentences in uncertainty as they rolled their hands in a circle, passing their knuckles over each other.

“Well. You’re a human. We don’t often see humans. Even more so, you came here. The garden. I’m normally in the garden so...” 

Laying their palms flat for once, they shrugged.

“I was just curious... I guess?”

“You… don’t look so sure of yourself.”

A short bark of laughter chuckled out of their mouth as they shook their head, quietly shaking Deuce’s heart aflutter for a second.

“No, I’m not. I guess… I thought I’d stand a better chance with a stranger. But I’m not good at talking. At all.”

Softening his expression, Deuce shook his head, smiling kindly.

“No… I think you talk quite easily. Truthfully, I was scared by you at first but talking with you… feels comforting. It’s a lot nicer than I had expected.”

Onyx stared at him, half in shock and half in wonder at how someone’s smile could light up their face so brightly. Suddenly, a rustle of leaves alerted the two of them of another presence, causing Deuce to look back in alarm.

“Ah! Silver-senpai!”

Upon seeing who it was, he relaxed from his guard and waved cheerfully.

“Deuce. You’re resting here?”

“Ah yes!”

Standing up, Deuce replied with eager vigour.

“I finished placing the rose in its place! I was just talking here with...”

Looking back at the bench, he made a motion to introduce his new friend but found the seat to be empty, void of the fae’s presence.

“You were talking with…?”

Confused, Silver tilted his head as Deuce began to stammer, blinking in shock.

“I was- was just… Uhm...”

Defeated, he hung his head and shrugged.

“I can’t work out what to say.”

Raising an eyebrow, Silver shrugged it off and began to walk.

“Ok? Well, I’ll take you back to your dorm. It wouldn’t do well for you to get lost here after all.”

“Y-Yes!”

Rushing after him, Deuce followed Silver, glancing back in an uncertain confusion. As he searched the shadows of the tree that had shaded over the bench, he caught sight of a golden eye watching him and a small hand waving him goodbye. With a small smile, he waved back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. Please leave kudos or a comment so I may know what to work on if needed or if you liked a particular section. I know that is it short, but I hope to be able to update more this way.


	3. Reaching out

Leaning against a corner of the wall, Onyx stood in the shadow of the corridor, right next to the door but hidden within the shade. They held a slip of paper to their lips, their schedule for school, and scanned the passerby with a watchful eye. Quietly, they mumbled to themself in hushed wonderings.

“Is he a first-year too…?”

Students trickled through the hallways like ink pouring out of a pen, flowing steadily without pause and heavily enough that they couldn’t spot whether or not Deuce was amongst the crowd.

Suddenly, a mop of deep blue hair floated amongst them, a speck of blue within the dulled blur of ink. Blinking, Onyx leaned forward a little to see it better, curious as to who it was. The speck was accompanied by two- no, three others. A student with bright auburn hair and a large red heart across his eye had his arm looped around Deuce’s, laughing loudly at a joke. Another student also walked with the two, their head wrapped in a dark blue scarf topped with a blue magical pen that pinned it in place. They seemed to be chuckling along with the auburn haired student, as Deuce smiled with them. Flitting across their feet, there seemed to be a cat with flaming blue ears, grey coat smearing into a blur as he kept running between their legs, causing the auburn haired student to stumble. Upon closer inspection, Onyx recognised the scarfed student and the cat as the ones who had made a mess of the opening ceremony. 

“I didn’t know he kept friends like that...”

Not in a judging way of course, but Deuce hadn’t seemed the type to befriend troublemakers. But then again, they all seemed good-natured at heart. Perhaps they were taking the first impression as their view of them, which would be too shallow of a shadow to do.

Turning their attention back to the group, they saw the auburn haired boy cursing at the cat, holding it up by its scruff as they walked. Deuce was smirking, laughing with the ramshackle student at his misery. They looked so close, both in their friendship and in distance. Barely struggling to hold in their gasp, Onyx realised the group was rapidly approaching them, heading for the doorway they stood next to. They’d stood here hoping for a chance to speak to Deuce once more- it couldn’t hurt to try to push for a friendship right? Yet, as the group grew closer and closer, troubles plagued their mind, their thoughts betraying thier hope and aiming daggers into its back. ‘Perhaps it would be too troublesome for him to talk while he’s with friends. Maybe he doesn’t even remember who I am. Or worse, he’d rather forget. I was abrupt in my leave, maybe he resents me for that? Or he wouldn’t want to be friends at all. I should leave him, he’s with people he enjoys being with. I’d be disturbing him.’

Crumpling the paper in their hands, Onyx leaned backwards and resigned themself to their fate of being forgotten and unnoticed. Even in plain sight, whilst they stood within the dark shadow of the corner, no one would be able to spot them especially within a crowd. Their ashen skin helped greatly with that, as well as their dark hair. He walked, snickering softly with the light conversation, he kept walking closer no longer bound by the arm around his neck. He walked alone, a little farther behind his peers as he checked his timetable. Seizing their chance, Onyx suddenly reached out, holding out an arm to grasp at him, eye wide as they cried out.

“Spade!!”

Shocked, Deuce looked up and instantly met their gaze, uttering quickly.

“Onyx?!”

That moment held still in the air, time stopping for an instant as their eyes met. Rich ocean hues gazing straight into a sun’s golden rays, the gaze shining for a moment.

And then with a flicker, they disappeared. Gone. Vanished from the air as quickly as they had appeared out of nowhere. Startled, Deuce cried out again, reaching out for them.

“Wait- Onyx!”

But no answer came. He was left standing in a corridor of bustling students, the hallway clearing in a lapse of traffic to show there was no one there. Scratching his head, Deuce furrowed his brows, perplexed.

“Did I just imagine that…?”

“Oiiii~ Serious Guy~ You coming?”

Hearing Ace’s voice snapped him out of his trance and Deuce nodded, rushing to catch up. As his eyes scanned the corners, still searching for the ashen face he thought- no, he knew he saw, his attention grabbed onto the sight of a crumpled paper on the ground. It lay in the shade, dropped within the shadows. 

“You looked lost in space there, what happened? Too starstruck after our Mathematics class confused you?”

Smirking, Ace’s grin flaunted his teasing tone. Kantoku-Sumi joined him in his grinning, their arm leaning onto Deuce’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry~ If you don’t want to do the hard maths, you can help me count the statues and make sure they’re all there~”

Huffing, Deuce frowned and pouted.

“It’s not that! I just--” he paused, hesitating for a moment before glancing behind him, “thought I saw someone I knew.”

“Ah~? Seeing things now are we? How hard did you hit your head on that wall over there?”

“Shut up Ace!”

Following the mocking leer of his laugh, Deuce sighed and accompanied the three to their next class, the amber iris he’d seen still on his mind.

Within another world, curled in a ball in the shadows, Onyx sat in silence. There would be tears had they the knowledge on how to shed them. They merely sat, their eye dulled in silence. They’d been so close, so close to finally trying to talk to him, to reach out to someone else for once- and yet. They still retracted straight into here, the safety of their magic. The world seemed empty, the bustling halls still filled with students but without faces, their bodies vanished and leaving behind only the shadows. This was their unique magic, the place they always ran away to. “Umbra’s light.” The world of shadows. Where they could only walk where there was darkness. Boredly watching the students pass by, Onyx sighed and stood up, eye flitting to the bright light that billowed through the windows, illuminated further in this world. Merely looking at it burned the eyes, stepping in it burned even further, searing pain into skin. A student of Diasomnia passed by, walking leisurely at his own pace. Stepping into his shadow, Onyx felt themself transported by his side, walking as if they were traveling next to him but they were not the one moving their legs. Instead, they passed as a shadow, their body moved by the force of the other student’s invisible to him. This was the most passive stage of their power, to walk as a shadow. They still felt their body and could move with their own will but could merely stay moving primarily by mirroring the other student’s without any effort or thought. It was like hitching a ride in a carriage, in fact they normally used an affectionate name for this stage. “Shadow Ride.” It was not all they could do, they could still interact with the student but then the other would be aware of their presence, feel the effect of their touch and if they turned around, the spell would break. The mental effort to stay present after the spell was forced open was always too much for Onyx to risk, so they never passed further than this stage. Within half an hour, they had been sent back to the Diasomnia dorm.

Back to where they talked to no one. Back to where the darkness was easily an acceptable friend. Back to safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prefect shown here was a guest character, Kantoku-Sumi! I suppose as they have yet to be written properly by CTtrajan, they may seem unfamiliar but they belong to CTtrajan. I will not be including any of the other Sumis in this fic however.


End file.
